Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Crackpot satnav

Here's a reminder not to trust everything your computer tells you. Drivers using satnav systems to go between Swaledale and Wensleydale in Yorkshire, UK, have been sent along a treacherous track of road alongside a 100ft cliff by their dodgy dashboard navigator.

One driver nearly dropped off the cliff's edge while trying to reverse away from the satnav trap, near the aptly-named village of Crackpot. Cars, minibuses and trucks have all been sent along the phantom route and other drivers have had to be towed to safety.

It's all because the track happens to be a public right of way, so the satnav thinks it looks like the shortest route. At least one manufacturer of in-car navigation systems has now made this particular shortcut off-limits.

"Increasing numbers of drivers switch on their satn-navs while simultaneously switching off their brains," said one local. Maybe she has point. Blindly relying on your car's satnav reminds me of those races between autonomous robot cars, which always feature more than a few spectacular crashes. Leave your brain on, and keep checking the map, that's my advice.